Seves
}} The Seves (セベス) The camera is called "Seves Semi" in , item 4068, but this is not the name used in the original documents found so far. is a Japanese 4.5×6 folding camera made around 1936 by Ginrei. Description The camera is a strut-folder, with scissor struts on each side of the front standard. The folding optical finder is in the middle of the top plate and its front part folds above the rear one. There is a small button on the left of the viewfinder — as seen by the photographer — used to release the front standard. The entire top plate is removable for film loading. It is locked by a knob on the right of the viewfinder, with Open/Lock indications, and retained by a metal latch at the other end. The back does not open. The advance knob is at the left end of the top plate, and has an arrow engraved at the top to indicate the winding direction. Film advance is manually controlled via two uncovered red windows at the bottom of the back. There is a handle at the left end of the camera, and a tripod thread under the camera, on the advance side. The name Seves is embossed in the leather covering of the back, and Ginrei's GRC logo is embossed at the front left. The lens is fixed-focus and has two elements. Advertisement reproduced in , p.77. Its maximal aperture was advertised as f/8, but may be closer to f/11. The undated Ōhashi leaflet says f/8. , p.337, and , item 4068, say f/11, perhaps after measuring the front element's actual diameter. It was made by the optical section of Ginrei. The advertisement reproduced in , p.77, says that "the lens is a meniscus made by the optical section of GRC" (レンズはGRC光学部自慢の単玉付). The shutter only has Bulb and Instant settings. Undated Ōhashi leaflet. The shutter plate is marked G.R.C. Ordinary at the top and Seves at the bottom. The shutter is called "GRC Original" in , p.337, for an unknown reason. Commercial life and actual examples The Seves was advertised by GRC Gōmei-gaisha in the July 1936 issue of Shashin Salon. Advertisement reproduced in , p.77. It is the only advertisement mentioned by . It was announced as a new product and the price was . The Seves also appears in a leaflet published by the distributor Ōhashi Takeji Shōten (pictured in this page), presenting various products sold or made by the company, including the Hope, Baby Light and Roll Light Ref cameras. Undated Ōhashi leaflet. Only two surviving examples have been observed so far, including that pictured above. Examples pictured in this page, and in , item 4068. Notes Bibliography * Item 137. * Ōhashi Takeji Shōten (大橋武治商店). Leaflet for the Hope, Seves, Baby Light, Roll Light Ref, Bosch enlarging lens, Cross filters and Riken hood. Date not indicated. Document partly reproduced in this Flickr album by Rebollo_fr. * Item 4068. Category: Japanese 4.5x6 viewfinder folding Category: 4.5x6 strut folding Category: S